SS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) tested the Precision
Aircraft Landing System (PALS) during phase II
certification.
Phase II PALS certifies that the SPN 46 Radar, or better known
as “easy rider”, is working properly. This phase is more complex
now that the ship is underway.
The easy rider must pick up and lock onto aircraft while the
ship is moving, though the aircraft don’t land. The ship will begin
landing aircraft on the flight deck with the next PALS certification
scheduled for this fall.
“When we were sitting in Newport News it was as steady as can
be,” said Air-traffic Controller (AC) 1st Class Viana Gros, referring
to the first PALS certification. “Now we’re a moving target out
to sea. It’s a little bit more difficult. Everything is moving and
shifting. It’s about making sure the parameters of everything work
properly.”
Gros has been with the ship since it was in dry dock. She has
seen the progress and is excited to see where the ship is going.
“I’m enjoying it,” said Gros. “When I first checked onboard
everything was all torn up and we were on 50th street in dry dock.
Now we’re actually pulling away. We’re brand new.”
Being underway provides Sailors the opportunity to get
first-hand experience on the new equipment in an operational
environment.
“It’s amazing,” said Lt. Paul Greenough, the ship’s carriercontrolled-approach officer. “In the 18 months I’ve been onboard,
everything is new. All of our radar scopes are brand new and our
computer systems. Everything is upgraded as much as you can
upgrade it.”
Once all PALS certifications are complete the ship will bring
flight operations back to where they belong, aboard Theodore
Roosevelt.

U.S. Navy Seeks More Cooperation With China In Counter-Piracy Exercise
By Hendrick Simoes, STARS AND STRIPES

During a rare exercise involving U.S. and Chinese naval forces
in the Gulf of Aden, the two countries’ navies landed helicopters
on each other’s ships for the first time.
Commodore Joseph Naman, a U.S. Navy captain and
commander of Destroyer Squadron 50, called it “a significant
milestone.”
In what could potentially be a small-scale rehearsal for the
large-scale RIMPAC 2014 exercise in the Pacific, the two-day
bilateral exercise in the Gulf of Aden that ended Sunday focused
on counter-piracy operations.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Mason and the Chinese
destroyer Harbin conducted a series of drills that included
members of both navies taking part in on-board search-and-

Public Affairs Officer
Lt. Cmdr. Patrick Evans

seizure drills, live-fire proficiency and aviation operations, the
U.S. Navy 5th Fleet said.
“For me and for my crew, it was one of those once-in-a-career
experiences,” said Cmdr. D. Wilson Marks, commander of the
USS Mason.
One of the events involved a combined U.S. and Chinese team
boarding a Chinese oil tanker that was role-playing as a pirated
vessel. The scenario included hostages and a mock medical
emergency.
The joint exercise comes in the wake of a meeting earlier
this month between China’s defense minister, Gen. Chang
Wanquan, and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Both spoke of
the importance of building a military-to-military relationship
between the two countries, which often are politically at odds.

By Adam Entous, Dion Nissenbaum and Maria Abi-Habib, WALL STREET JOURNAL
In harsh, uncompromising language, Secretary of State John
Kerry began laying out the U.S. case for possible military action
against Syria, saying there was undeniable evidence that chemical
weapons had been used in a deadly attack against a rebel enclave
and that it was "a moral obscenity."
Obama administration planning centers on carrying out any
U.S. and allied strikes on Syria as part of a coalition without
United Nations backing, U.S. and European officials said. Such a
route could raise international law concerns but would let the administration avoid a potentially protracted diplomatic fight at the
U.N. with Russia, President Bashar al-Assad's main backer on the
Security Council. The U.S. has stepped up contacts with its North
Atlantic Treaty Organization partners and the Arab League about

supporting such an operation.
The U.S.'s stepped-up public rhetoric and war planning laid the
groundwork for President Barack Obama to make a swift decision
on launching airstrikes, even as administration officials made clear
they are still awaiting the results of a final U.S. intelligence assessment on alleged chemical attacks last week that activists and rebels
say killed more than 1,000 Syrians.
For now, senior administration officials said the U.S. has
concluded there is "no doubt" chemical weapons were used in the
incident. The administration said the evidence leaves "little doubt"
that forces loyal to Mr. Assad were responsible for using the chemical weapons. U.S. intelligence agencies are now in the process of
firming up those conclusions, officials said.

walking the

RED CARPET

“Rough Riders, I go ashore inspired by your
accomplishments today and I know that
the rough rider team is exactly the right
team to take the ship forward and get it
ready to execute the rest of our agenda.”
-Adm. John Richardson, Naval Reactors,
during his visit aboard TR.

Command Ombudsman
April Kumley
cvn71ombudsman@yahoo.com
The Rough Rider is an
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Roosevelt (CVN 71).
Contents herein are not
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government, Department of
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Navy or the Commanding
Officer of TR.
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